Bluenose II setting sail for Great Lakes in 2019

The schooner Bluenose II sails past the village of Blue Rocks near the end of September 2018. - Josh Healey

Some Lunenburg businesses concerned over ship’s absence

The crew of Bluenose II will be setting their sails for unfamiliar waters in 2019.

The famed Lunenburg schooner is planning to sail to the Great Lakes for the first time in nearly 20 years, said Jason McNaught, the ship’s director of operations.

The voyage into the lakes, said McNaught, represents an opportunity to share the ship with a larger audience.

“It’s on the dime and I think there’s a whole generation of Canadians that need to see the ship and know its importance in Canada’s history,” he said.

The scheduled Great Lakes trip, which will see Bluenose II sail as a part of the Tall Ships Challenge series, will be the farthest afield the ship has travelled since its re-launch in 2012 after an extensive refit.

The planning process to bring in Bluenose II, said Tall Ships Challenge Director Erin Short, has been ongoing for over a year.

“We’re excited to have them. It’s been a long time planning and it looks like everything is moving forward according to plan,” she said on Monday.

McNaught said the ship is happy to represent Nova Scotia amidst the tall ship fleet.

“It’s really important that the ship strikes a balance voyaging throughout Nova Scotia and places like the Great Lakes and other provinces. We can’t forget that it’s a Canadian icon,” he said.

McNaught was unable to confirm the specifics of the ship’s upcoming schedule but noted the ship could be gone for a large portion of the sailing season.

Some businesses in Lunenburg are concerned that the absence of Bluenose II could affect the number of tourists visiting the schooner’s home port.

Katherine Eisenhauer, a ninth generation Lunenburger and the owner of the Savvy Sailor Café, said her business is busier when the ship is in port.

“I’m located adjacent to her dock so I definitely notice the increase, particularly on days where she does sailing tours here. I think they bring a lot of people down,” she said. “I always love when she’s here.”

However, Eisenhauer acknowledged the ship has a role to play.

“I do understand that part of the purpose of the boat is to be an ambassador and travel around,” she said. “When she’s not here, it’s one less thing (in Lunenburg) but hopefully it doesn’t play into people’s minds.”

A tourist operator in town since 1996, Basil Oickle of Trot in Time said he’s happy to see the ship sailing abroad.

“I think this is a great way to promote our Bluenose because people aren’t aware of her and how important she is,” said Oickle.

Oickle added that he’s been around for a number of the ship’s long distance voyages.

“When the Bluenose is gone, and its been gone many times over the years, people would come and be a little bit frustrated that it was away,” he said.

The root of the frustration, said Oickle, lies with the ship’s sign on Highway 103: sometimes, even when Bluenose II is away, the sign advertises that the ship is in port.

“That’s the biggest thing,” said Oickle. “Where me and my drivers are down along the waterfront, we get a lot of questions bringing that up.”

For his part, McNaught stressed the Great Lakes voyage as a major milestone in the ship’s progression.

“It’s a huge step for us,” said McNaught.

McNaught also added that the success of the past sailing seasons around Nova Scotia made the possibility of a Great Lakes voyage possible.

Bluenose II spent most of this past year sailing around Nova Scotia, including stops in Halifax, Sydney, Baddeck, Iona and Louisbourg.

The ship also sailed to Boston and Gloucester in Massachusetts.

A spokesperson for the Redpath Waterfront Festival, which is an annual summer event in Toronto, was able to confirm an impending announcement concerning Bluenose II sometime in early November.